WASHOUGAL — Ray Kutch is the newest Washougal city councilor after the current council picked him from a pool of nine candidates at a special meeting Tuesday night.
Kutch, a Washougal resident since 1990, is active in the Washougal United Methodist Church and was the owner of Dodge City Bar & Grill restaurants in Vancouver and Camas.
The position came open because Jennifer McDaniel resigned last month after moving out of the city. Kutch’s Position No. 5 will be part of the 2017 primary and general election cycle, so he will serve until the results of the November general election are certified. Kutch, or whoever wins that election, will serve through the current term, which ends in 2019.
While 11 residents handed in applications for the position, two withdrew their names before Tuesday’s meeting, as they couldn’t attend the interviews with the councilors. From the remaining nine candidates, councilors filled out weighted ballots, narrowing it down to Kutch and Julie Russell. The councilors voted 4-2 in favor of Kutch.
